Gauge help

[pretty_bug01]

I am making the cascading shells shirt pattern from the new Crochet! magazine. I am having trouble with the gauge. It is supposed to be 3 in by 1 in. I am making it at 3 1/2 by about 1 3/4 to 2 in. Other than changing my hook, is there any other thing for me to change? I am using a 3.25 mm hook. If I need to change the hook, what size do you think I should need? Thanks for the help.

[sherryzzz]

Are you using the same yarn? Or something similar? I would try a smaller hook and see what your gauge is. If you can get it to 3" width-wise, but its still too tall, you can always compensate by doing fewer row repeats. But do try it with a smaller hook first.

[faedragon]

Guage isn't determined just by the hook, it's a combination of the hook and the yarn. If you can't get the correct gauge by changing the hook, you can also try changing the yarn. Another choice is to use the hook that gets you the closest to the gauge, and then crochet to the dimensions of the garment.